Love, Vivosaurs and an Evil Floating Skull, What Could Go Wrong?
by VictoriaTheDeathGod
Summary: Love: A tender feeling of companionship between two beings. Vivosaurs:Dinosaurs brought back to life by cleaning and reviving fossils. An Evil Skull: no explanation needed. What happen when the three combine when a tournament comes to town? The world, our world is in grave peril. Love is in the air but darkness is on the tracks, and it's full speed ahead.
1. Chapter 1

Fossil fighters champions Rupert x OC

**AN: this story is something that came to me the second I met Rupert in the game I got for my birthday *December 29* and I've decided to put my typing and video game skills to the floor and use my new laptop that I got for Christmas from my Aunt Susan and Uncle Andrew *you guys rock*, to good use by writing this fan-fiction. So if there are any mistakes don't get in my face about them, I'm not used to the keyboard yet. Oh and note that all my other stories are on pause until I finish this one, which might be a while so please don't nag me on this. I am part of the Rupert Fan-girl Army! And yea, I just made that up. But seriously, if Loki has an army of fans, then Rupert's got to have one too. Anyways, there is probably going to be a chapter or two... or knowing me five+, at random intervals during the story that will be like holiday specials or, simply put, pure and utter nonsense which mean my muse is on a vacation and will be back shortly. Now, let's see how much of this I can get done before Christmas break ends... in a week.**

**Oh and Disclaimer: I do not own Fossil Fighters Champions in any way, or any of the references that you might see here to any anime or show on television or Netflix, if I did I would be a millionaire and living in a mansion with people working on making real life Vivosaurs. **

Chapter one

The young blonde-haired girl stared out over the ledge of the cliff; she looked to be between eleven and twelve years old. She breathed deeply; enjoying the calm afternoon, the breeze from the Cliffside gave ample coolness to prevent her from getting too hot under the noonday sun.

"Hey Victoria! How long are you going to stand around and stare at the scenery, huh?" called her childhood friend, Todd. The boy had a taste for mischief and though he was rather easy to frighten, he was a loyal, supportive friend. "Quit stalling and get over here!"

Victoria looked around, albeit surprised at Todd's sudden and loud interruption of the quiet. Though Victoria loved Todd dearly as a friend, she'd much rather he learns to be less loud and refrain from yelling. She immediately jogged over to the boy's side.

"People say wild Vivosaurs live at the top of this mountain" Todd exclaims happily but a tip of the head and a confused look from Victoria makes him frown, slightly upset at her clear forgetting. "Come on!" he all but groaned "We just went over this! A 'Vivosaur' is a dinosaur revived from fossils" he offers the other teen two thumbs up "Man, I'd never thought I'd see one with my own eyes!" Todd says wistfully before adding "Now come on! We're not leaving until we get some wild Vivosaurs of our very own!"

Both nod at each other before speeding up the path to the top of the hill after Todd declared "Race you to the top"

Victoria bounded lightly next to Todd, the terrain was rather rough and the leaves from the trees were tearing at their clothes as they tore by laughing and gasping for air.

After a moment of looking around; Todd decided to once again, break the silence, "Hey! I don't see any Vivosaurs anywhere! Somebody must have been lying to me!" Two loud thumps had both of the teens drawn to a thicket of brush, "Wh-What was that!?" Todd demanded "What's going on?!" he yelped before whispering to Victoria "I think there's something over there..."

Victoria shoot Todd a look, though she did prefer not to talk, as Todd more often than not, had enough to say for both of them, responded "Ya think Captain Obvious?" she was cut off by an angry roar as a blue and white monster stormed from the woods before them.

"T-That's an Allosaurus!" Todd declared turning around to sprint away in fright

"Todd shush!" Victoria reprehended "no sudden movements or the thing might charge us and eat us" but Todd had already bolted off in a random direction. The Allosaurus let out a roar and ran after Todd, seeing the movement, and Victoria had to sprint to keep ahead of the beast, having being right in its way.

The teens, however screeched to a halt at the cliff edge "It's gonna eat us!" Todd wailed in despair as Victoria took a protective stance in front of him, looking quickly for a way out. The Allo stalked forwards slowly, knowing it had its prey cornered. "EEEEEK" Todd screamed, looking to the sky "It's a Petranodon"

"Jump on!" the cowboy astride the flying reptile yelled "The both'a ya!" either Todd or Victoria moved an inch "getta move on now, come on!"

"B-But" Todd protested, he was prevented from more stuttering by Victoria grabbing his hand and dragging him into a sprint towards the edge of the cliff, springing herself and by extension, Todd, she leapt to safety, her hand and the stranger's meet as the man pulled her, and my extension, Todd, to safety.

"Yee-haw! Hold on pards!" the Cowboy exclaimed steering his Petra out of danger while the Allo all but screamed in anger. "Whew! You folks alright?" the man asked, having to half shout to be heard over the Petra's wings buffeting the air.

"I'm alright sir" Victoria informed him before glancing over her shoulder at her friend who gave her a nod and a slight smile "and so is my friend"

A couple of minutes later the Petra landed lightly at the toe of the mountain and they got off the winged reptile. The moment Todd got a good look at the cowboy, he gasped in surprise ""OH MY GOSH!" Todd practically squealed "Y-You're Joe!"

The cowboy, now assumedly known as 'Joe', merely chuckled "Yep, that's me. Surprised you know my handle, kid"

Todd was ecstatic "Of course I know you!" he almost yelled "You're the greatest Fossil Fighter in the whole world! Your Fossil Battle skills are legendary! You're Joe Wildwest!" the boy announced before stage whispering "I can't believe I'm really talking to you! This is amazing!" Todd sighed lightly, "I must sound like a real nerd, huh?"

"Kinda Todd" Victoria agreed.

A loud smash that sounded like a tree getting torn up from its root made the three of them look around. Up on the top of the mountain, the Allosaurus was fuming with anger "Graaawl"

Todd jumped back a good foot or two, moving closer to Joe in terror with a loud, shrill "Eeeek!"

Joe, completely unfazed, stepped forwards, moving up the path a bit "That Allosaurus is madder than a sack full'a hornets" he declared "We can't let it leave the mountain all riled up like that, or folks'll be in a heap'a trouble" he paused to think for a moment "Ain't no other choice. We gotta subdue the critter in a Fossil Battle. How's about it, small fry?" he asked "Think you're up for it?" both the young teens glanced at each other before returning their gaze to Joe "I'll even loan ya one'a my Dino Medals for the fight" he offered "So how 'bout it?"

Todd was having none of that, the last thing he wanted to do was go up that mountain to fight a monster, so naturally "Oooooooh!" he groaned, keeling over to wrap his arms around his belly in pain "oh my stomach! It hurts real bad..." he trailed of although thinking "It must be that rotten banana I ate this morning... Yeah that's it" he received a doubtful glance from a silent Victoria "Oooooooh..." he whimpered before turning to address his friend "I'd really like to fight, but I don't think I can. So you'll have to fight in my place, Victoria!"

Said teen approached Todd and felt his forehead "You feel fine to me Todd but if that's what you want, who am I to argue?"

Joe looked between the pair "well fair enough. Guess I'll be lending you my Dino Medal instead. I got four of 'em so just take whichever one strikes your fancy." Joe held out his hand to show off the four small metal disks he pointed to one with a blue and yellow figure on it "That there's an Areosteon. He's a power type that overwhelms foes with his sharp claws" he pointed to one that had a pink creature on it "That's a fast growing, well balanced Vivosaur called Toba Titanosaur. It's one of your more fashionable types." Joe then pointed out an orange medal "Now that there's a Tsintaosaurus. It's a backup-type Vivosaur that has great support skills." And he indicated to the last disk that looked to have a red fan-back Vivosaur inside "And finally we got a Dimetrodon. It's a tricky technical type that confounds foes with special skills" Joe took a break to breathe after all that was quite the mouthful to say. "So that's all she wrote. Now dive in and pick yerself a Vivosaur!"

Victoria though about her choice for a moment before extending her hand to carefully pick up Areosteon "I'll use this one, it's high attack and Life Points will make this battle easier than it would be if it had low attack, and the more damage we can cause the sooner the Allosaurus will calm down" the second she touched the medal she was surprised, it wasn't cold like she had expected, in fact it was rather warm. She plucked the disk from Joe's palm and cautiously turned it over, it wasn't heavy at all, in fact, if she didn't know it was there, she wouldn't have paid it any mind in all.

"Well grease my pants and call me slick!" Joe announces "That's a fine choice there, small fry. Now remember, once ya throw that Dino Metal at the Allosaurus, yer Vivosaur will be unleashed, the strength of a Fossil Fighter depends on how much of a bond they build with their Vivosaurs, so make sure ya'll trust each other and try to have some fun. All right?"

"Got it Joe" Victoria agrees before walking up the path, looking for the Allo. "I don't know much about you" she whispered to the metal in her hand "and this is the first time I've ever been in a battle, so it's kinda intimidating, but I trust you" she ran her finger over the smooth disk, "I hope I don't mess up and get you hurt" A loud roar makes her look around, and there was the Allo, looking madder than before "alright, here we go" with that Victoria coiled back ant threw the medal at the Allo like she was throwing a baseball. There was a bright flare of light and the Vivosaur Areosteon materialized in front of her, the creature was blue with a black jaw and underbelly, there were lemon yellow feathers framing the monster's face and neck in ridges. "Wow" Victoria breathed "you're beautiful" the Areos glanced at her with a light snort as though he was chuckling at her awe. "Areosteon, use Wind Blast please!" she called and the Areos complied.

Wind whipped outwards in violent green pulses, Areosteon roared powerfully, the gusts pounded the Allo who sustained serious damage. The Allosaurus retaliated with Allo Bite "Areos jump!" Areosteon sprang into the air and avoided the attack altogether, while the Allo got a mouthful of hard rock, Victoria winced as she heard the Allo's teeth break on the stone. Areosteon twisted midair and landed on the Allo, the reptile's grappled for a moment before Victoria gave another command "Areos use Wind Blast again!" she encouraged "you've got this in the bag!" Victoria all but cheered. The attack landed critical. The Allo fell to one knee with a pained, breathless grunt, the rage was gone from its eyes and it returned to its medal.

The borrowed Vivosaur walked over to Victoria and lowered its great head to sniff her curiously "you were awesome!" The teen praised putting her hand lightly on the Areosteon's muzzle "good job Areos" the creature let out a purring sound then there was a flash and the Dino Metal rested in her hand and she smiled at it.

"Nice job small fry, you did real good." Joe praised offhandedly

"You ran that Fossil Battle like a pro, Victoria! You're awesome!" Todd practically squealed.

Victoria turned her eyes from the metal in her hand and shot a bemused look at the boy next to her "How's your 'stomach-ache' going?"

Todd blanched "...huh. Hey my stomach doesn't hurt anymore." He sweat-dropped, "yeah, well, who cares about that now, am I right?"

Victoria chuckles and Joe speaks "That Allosaurus was abandoned by some cruel Fighter. Reckon that's why he had his shorts in a bunch" the cowboy turned his glance to the young teens across from him "Vivosaurs need to be with Fossil Fighters they know they can trust. If they're abandoned, they go feral and their true nature emerges" a slight shrug "that's why I'm here, actually. The Fighters Association asked me to round up rouge Vivosaurs." Joe blinked at the two minors for a second trying to recall their names but found that he had forgotten to ask them. "Aw, shucks. Where are my manners?" he chided himself "You know this already but I'm Joe Wildwest, and I'm a Fossil Fighter."

"I'm Victoria"

"I'm Todd and Victoria is my best friend. We always cheer for you on T.V, Joe!" the boy smiled up at his idol "Our dream is to become great Fossil Fighters, just like you!"

"Aw, shucks. You small fries are going to make me blush!" Joe said "but y'all ought to aim a little higher. Don't try to be as good as me... Try to be better! Well s'pose, I should think about seeing you two home, but I ain't quite done with my job yet. I've still got one Vivosaur that needs rescuin', ya see? But y'all seem pretty capable, so I trust ya can make it home."

Victoria looks at the medal still in her hand before stepping up to Joe "here, thanks for lending him to me, he's a fantastic Vivosaur" she offers the small disk to the senior fighter.

"Aw, bacon! I durn near forgot that Dino medal I loaned ya!" he glanced at the medal containing Areosteon before curling Victoria's fingers back around the metal gently, feeling the pulse of sorrow emanating from the disk at being offered back to him "tell ya what Victoria. What say you keep it as my way of sayin' thanks for all the help? And besides, that Areos's taken a liking to ya by the way he checked ya out before returnin' to his Metal"

Victoria gasps sharply looking at the metal "really?" Joe nods "thanks Mr. Wildwest!" she smiled "I'll take good care of him!"

Next to her Todd sighed jealously "Aw man! If only my stupid stomach hadn't started hurting..."

"Listen up, small fries!" Joe announced drawing both teen's attention "If you love yer Vivosaurs and share their passion for Fossil Battles, than y'all can accomplish anything! I look forward to the day you both become proper Fossil Fighters. But for now, I gotta mosey on down the trail. Adios!"

"Bye Joe!" Victoria says hugging her new friend who, after a surprised pause, embraced her back, "I'll take awesome care of Areos so don't worry about him!" she promised into Joe's leather jacket. Before backing off again and smiling at the cowboy.

Joe gave her a grin of his own and walked off, waving over his shoulder at the teens. Todd returned his gesture. "Wow! We just got advice from Joe Wildwest himself! No choice now, Victoria. We have to become Fighters!"

"I've always wanted to be a Fossil Fighter!" Victoria deems excitedly, looking at Areos's metal gleaming up at her "I want it more than anything in the world!"

"Yeah, I know you want it bad." Todd agrees "But not as bad as I me! Next time I see Joe, I'm gonna be a full-fledged Fighter"

Both teens jump into the air, punching the sky.

**AN: and that was the first chapter and it took me three and a half hours to edit alone, all together, with referring to the game itself multiple times to make sure I spelled the Vivosaur's names right and put the right words where they belong, as well as fleshing it out to make it more realistic, it took about a day and a half. Which for my style of writing is pretty darn good, you can leave reviews if you want. **

**Areos: "Grrraaawwl!" **_**when can I battle next?**_

**Me: Some time in the next chapter whenever it's done so stop nagging me! Gosh you sound like my Mom *looks at Vivosaur* and you look like her too (Joking! Love you Mom). Anyways see you next chapter! Which is coming god knows when.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Sorry for the wait but chapter two's here now! And it's continuing where we left off.**

**Disclamer! I do not have clam over anything in this fic, other than my OC and my imagination. So, yeah. Me no ownie the Vivosaurs and main plot details.**__

Chapter two

The blue chopper flies over the smooth sea, it's tri-blades spinning in a circular motion, it was headed to an island and there were two rather impatient soon-to-be fighters upon it, both of them had, two years ago, met Joe Wildwest and in exchange for their help defeating an Allosaurus, he had let Victoria keep the Dino Metal she'd borrowed from him, an Areosteon that was in tiptop condition from two years of pampering and training.

Both of the children had grown to be fourteen years old, though they still had their younger personas, Victoria was still the careful, quiet one and Todd, still tended to be exasperatingly loud and was still easy to frighten, but the pair of them were more mindful of each other and sleepovers, though not prohibited, had to have adult supervision, or they at least had to be checked on every hour or so to make sure it was PG ten and under. Which both Todd and Victoria found rather pointless as they were, even though they were older and closer, just friends. Though they might as well be dating, as their mothers liked to joke, with the amount of time they spend together.

Todd, once again, decided to break the rather, though slightly strained, calm atmosphere by practically squealing "I can't believe it's finally going to happen, Victoria! My heart is beating like a jackhammer! We're gonna be in Joe's very own tournament, the Caliosteo Cup! All the cool Fighters just call it the Cup for short. Joe would be amazed to know we made it through the preliminaries and came all the way here!" after a moment of silence "Hey! I can see Caliosteo Fossil Park! That's where the Cup is going to be!"

The teenager he was attempting (and failing) to involve in the conversation was completely spaced out, staring at the buttons on the helicopter's control panel but not really seeing them. Little did he know that she was having a conversation of her own, with her Vivosaur, well no one but someone who could tell from the slight way she seemed to be concentrating on something and nothing at the same time would know that she and her Vivosaur were talking, after all, the entire chat was taking place in her head. Victoria was unaware that Todd had even said anything until Areos, Tsume as she'd nicknamed it, pointed it out to her. "Oh sorry Todd, I was zoned out there for a while"

The boy laughed "from the way you were so dazed I thought that the helicopter was making you sick!"

"Well I'm fine; I was just having a mental chat with Tsume"

"..."

"I asked Tsume about it and he told me it was fine so I'm cool with it"

"Alright then...?" Todd half asked he was going to inquire how it worked when the helicopter landed in Ribular Town.

The helicopter door slid open and the duo make their slightly stumbled exit, setting foot on land for the first time in about three and a half hours.

An attendant greeted them with a warm smile "Welcome to Caliosteo Fossil Park, a prehistoric world of dreams, dinosaurs, and adventure! This park was founded by none other than Joe Wildwest, the superstar Fossil Fighter. It is composed of three islands: Ribular Island, Cranial Island, and Ilium Island. Visitors are welcome to excavate and revive as many fossils as they like. And of course there's plenty of Fossil Fighting to be done! But for now, please make yourselves at home here in lush, green Ribular Town!

'Beep-beep-boop!' a loudspeaker called 'This is an important public service announcement from Caliosteo Fossil Park. Registration for the Caliosteo Cup will be ending soon. Fossil Fighters who have not yet registered should enrol at the Fighter Station immediately. Beep-beep-boop!'

Both Victoria and Todd gasped turning to each other "We need to register!" Todd yelled

"NO CRAP!" Victoria screeched Todd blinked momentarily shocked at his friend. When he finally came out of it she was racing down the street at a full sprint.

"Hey Victoria! Wait up!"

Victoria bounded lithely through the door of the Fighter Station and up to the counter "hello and welcome!" the cheery receptionist greeted the teen "I take it you want to enter the Caliosteo Cup?"

"Yes please ma'am" Victoria responds, slightly breathless, taking the offered form and pen "my friend is coming, he'll be here momentarily" she filled out the needed data like her full name, how old she was, stuff like that. "Here's the form and pen back ma'am"

"Victoria! What part of 'wait up' don't you understand?!"

"Todd shush!" Victoria scolds "inside voice"

The boy filled out the paper and the receptionist takes the page and files it away with Victoria's. "Please wait here. Someone will be along shortly to instruct you on out facilities and rules"

Almost instantly a young woman entered the room, "Hey there! I'm Stella. I'm the Staff Leader here on Ribular Island. You guys made it just in time! "But since you did, I'm going to start the tour in the most important place." Stella walked a few paces "right this way please"

"...the most important place? What do you think that is?!" Todd stage whispered to Victoria who merely shrugged in response.

The pair followed Stella to a room filled with technology everywhere "Welcome to the most important place for Fighters: the Cleaning Room! This is the cleaning machine. It carves fossils out of their rocky prisons. And that machine" Stella pointed to a dome like chamber "revives Vivosaurs from the fossils."

Todd startles slightly "that's some pretty high-tech stuff!"

"Yes" Stella agrees, "We try to stay up to date. As such, these machines may be a bit difference than what you're used to. I'll explain how to operate them now, so please pay attention."

Once Stella finished explaining how to do it she gave Victoria and Todd the go ahead to clean the fossils assigned to them.

Victoria worked gently to tap away the hard layers of stone, until the dirt was slightly spongy beneath her fingers; she glanced at the clock seeing that she still had an hour left. She carefully used her drill to grind away the thin layer of grit, blowing away the dust like Stella said to do, she had soon uncovered a mouth and the lower jaw of a herbivore, and continuing to work nimbly, though the drill was slightly awkward in her hand, freed three horns and a shield-like frill. She scratched away the last spot with her index fingernail, frightened of damaging the pristine fossil she'd worked so hard on.

Todd too had finished, though his had a few chips and scratches on it, it was still completely uncovered and was in almost mint condition. "Excellent job you two" Stella praised, chuckling at the clearly passionate fighters before her "Now let's revive those fossils!"

Electricity flashed in the revival chamber and a low, echoing call sounded as a Triceratops took shape. It was a water-type affinity and was predominately blue. The beast looked at Victoria with intelligent, purple-blue eyes. It had two long ebony and orange tusks growing from each brow with a matching nose horn, its legs were thick with corded muscle. It was basically a walking forklift with a boney shield and enough smarts to know if it was angry or not. Victoria gasped softly before lifting a hand to place it on the glass, "Wow" she breathed, taking in the beast's hostile pose.

"My turn" Todd all but cheered, clearly ecstatic with Victoria's success. The skull that Todd had cleaned ended up being a Stegosaurus. It was large and green with red and lime marks on the fin-like plates it had on its back. The beast had a relatively short tail for a Vivosaur, a good four feet in length, topped with four brutal looking spikes, two to a side. It was a pretty Vivosaur with the markings it bore.

"Once revived, a Vivosaur is contained in the form of a Dino Metal." Stella informed the new Fighters, plucking two disks from the tray that they had slid into after revival before offering them to the younger teens that looked at them "And here you go! These are your own Dino Metals." The Staff Leader passed the Vivosaurs over to their Fighters.

Victoria studied the Metal in her hand, groping for its signature in her mind's eye like she did when she wanted to talk to Tsume. The response she got was loud and clear 'I will fight!' the Tricera broadcasted, the signal feeling like a large swell in Victoria's head 'I will win!'

'Of course' Victoria agreed, calming the swell a little at her compliance 'we shall become strong together, Lance' Victoria detected confusion coming from the metal 'your name, a lance is a medieval weapon used like a spear to stab foes, your wicked horns and aggressive personality remind me of them' a wave of pride was the response she got from the Tricera

'Lance' the Tricera agreed 'it sounds hard-hitting, I like it'

Todd felt a similar feeling, a light gust of wind blew through his sub-conscious 'hello' his Stego sent, more mild than Victoria's forceful Tricera 'I am you're friend, we shall be good partners' "Who said that?!"

Victoria glanced at Todd who was looking around with wide eyes "Todd remember what I told you earlier?" she asked pulling her Areos from her bag as a reminder, "you can converse mentally with your Vivosaurs if you both believe in each other"

"Oh, cool!" Todd declared looking at the metal in his palm. 'You're really cool!' he though to the Stego who replied: 'I think you're pretty neat yourself'

Both fighters, after getting acquainted with their Vivosaurs looked to Stella who was watching them with a smile. "Now I'll explain the rules we use for Fossil Fighting. Let's head over to Fossil Stadium" with that she Todd and Victoria went to the Common Room. "The Fossil Stadium is through this door"

"Fossil Stadium!" Todd squealed "Wooooo! I'm so excited I could puke!"

Both Victoria and Stella winced, Victoria shot Todd a look that said plainly 'don't even think about it' "Yes, let's try not to do that. Our floors are very clean" Stella stated "...Anyways, please follow me" she lead the way through the door. "This is Fossil Stadium's Common Room. Fighters entered in the Cup will often gather here." Stella informed "Oh, and when you get a notice about an upcoming match, be sure to come here right away!"

"Hiya! I'm Devon Strait, and I'm here to get you familiar with all the Cup's Fossil Fighting rules" a man introduced himself "First off, let me show you how a team is assembled for battle."

The two newbie Fossil Fighters got the lay-down on the different 'Zones'.

"Now I'll explain how an actual battle works" Devon continued, after ensuring that both Todd and Victoria understood how the zones work. "I've got some demo teams, so let's go to the Fossil Stadium."

"Woooo!' Todd cheered, "We finally get to go inside a Fossil Stadium!" he held his hands up, in his typical, excited gesture "Come on, come on!"

Devon blinked at Todd for a moment before glancing at Victoria who gave him a look of longsuffering exasperation before he led the way into the stadium.

***Aright for the first (and definitely not the last) time in this story, we're going to ignore the plot and go see Rupert dealing with something amusing while Todd and Victoria do something tedious* **

Rupert presses his back to the door to his dorm after locking it, panting for breath; his roommate wasn't there, which was alright with him as he was soaked with sweat from running and probably smelled like he'd taken a bath in T-Rex spit.

Those darn fan-girls had chased him all over the Fossil Lawn when he'd gone to check out the Fossil Cannon for his father and straight to the elevator, which thankfully, closed before he could get molested for scraps of clothes and locks of his hair. He unzipped and peeled off his red sweater, his white undershirt sticking to his lean back and chest with perspiration, thanking his lucky stars that he'd made it out unscathed.

Rupert proceeded to have a boiling shower that pounded his pale skin, turning it slightly red with heat. He relaxed into the water, enjoying the way the steaming H2o made his skin tingle with warmth. Soon enough though he decided that he'd spent enough time in his wash and it was time to get out and get ready to go to the interview in that dig site he'd been begged to attend by some reporter and her cameraman.

He dressed in some fresh clothes and blow-dried his hair, feeling new and clean, though he'd decided against wearing his cologne as it seemed to attract the fan-girls in hordes.

***back to Todd and Victoria... Pfft... Fan-girls...* **

"One last thing to keep in mind..." Devon responded, closing his lecture about Fossil Battles "If a Fighter lacks strategy or their Vivosaurs lack abilities, victory will prove impossible. Remember that, alright?" he got two nods and he smiled at the young teens "Now get out there and show 'em what you're made of! Good luck!" with that, he turned heel and walked off, back to the Common Room.

That's it for orientation; you two are now officially entered in the Caliosteo Cup." Stella congratulated "Your opponents and roommates will be automatically chosen by the computer" she handed them both keys to their dorms that both Fighters tucked away in their bags for safekeeping "Also, whenever you finish a Cup match, you'll be granted access to a new dig sites" Stella clapped her hands together before remembering "Oh, wait, I almost forgot. I have your Paleopagers right here" she pulled out said devices and gave one to each Fighter "we send news and notices out to Paleopagers via the Fossil Messaging Service, or FMS.

'Beep-boop-beep!' the speaker in the ceiling announced 'This is an important public service announcement from Caliosteo Fossil Park. The Caliosteo up opening ceremony will be kicking off shortly. All interested parties should meet in front of the Fighter Station. Beep-boop-beep!'

"Ok, that's my cue" Stella deems "Good luck, you two!" she walks out the door, with one final wave in their direction.

"I bet the opening ceremony is gonna be awesome." Todd considered, before adding hopefully "Maybe even Joe will show up!" with that he makes a beeline for the exit.

Sighing lightly, Victoria made her way, in a more calm fashion, to the door leading out to the street. She put her Tricera metal, after a brief introduction to Tsume, into her metal slot in her bag. It was a Velcro-style pouch, ideal for putting her Vivosaurs.

Once Victoria got outside, there were quite a few people gathered around. She rejoined Todd and the pair of them waited for the ceremony to begin.

"I wish they would start already!" a girl complained loudly to her friend, albeit jokingly. A man stepped forwards next to claim that he had a fever and that the only cure was digging.

A young boy spoke up next "Oooh! I'm so excited! What kind of battles do you think we'll see today?" he asked his friend.

Todd turned to look at something in the sky before proclaimed joyfully "hey look! Something's flying this way!"

A large shape blotted out the sun and everyone's attention was on it, "Welcome to the Caliosteo Fossil Park... The place where dreams are made!" Todd and Victoria knew the voice, "I'm the owner of this here park. The name's Joe Wildwest." The cowboy pointed at the crowd "You Fighters'll love it here... We got three Islands to explore! Now get ready for a surprise!" Joe announced "'Cause I want y'all to know that the Cup champion'll get my park! You'll own 'er free and clear!" people cheered, loudly "So let's get to battlin', folks. The Caliosteo Cup is now open!" following that there was a series of fireworks set off as the giant screen started to go up and it soon disappeared from sight.

Todd and Victoria looked at each other "Man, just seeing Joe's face on that awesome video display was so exciting!" Todd jumped into the air, punching the sky to show his enthusiasm "But seriously, the Cup's grand prize is this entire fossil park. My mind is totally blown here. This is huge Victoria. We have to win, no matter what!" 

The two friends met eyes and fist pumped, the way they always had when they'd decided they were serious about something. Stella, on her way back into the Fighter Station saw them "hello Todd. Hello Victoria. The Cup is finally underway." She walked over to the duo.

"Oh, hey Stella!" Todd greeted.

"Hi, Stella" Victoria also decided to speak though she was rather involved with talking to her two Vivosaurs mentally at the moment, the two reptiles asking eagerly when they were going to get to battle.

Stella, curious by nature, asked "Why aren't you two off digging fossil rocks yet? You should have gotten a message on your Paleopagers by now."

Although it was cued, the little devices went off in their pockets, Victoria and Todd pulled them out as it began to speak "The first dig site, Treasure Lake, is now open on Ribular Island. Treasure Lake is ringed with thick woods, in the middle of which is a lake. Fighters are urged to go there to prepare for Round 1 of the Cup."

Todd let out a shrill "Eeek!" before continuing a slightly lower though still high octave "We're really gonna do this!" he looked around, finding the square around them void of people "H-Hey! Everyone's gone! We just got here and were already behind!"

Ever helpful Stella pointed them in the right direction "Treasure Lake is through that walkway there."

"C'mon!" Todd said, a touch of desperation in his tone "Let's go before all the fossil rocks are gone!" with that last yelp he sprinted off in the direction of the dig site.

"You know, I'm actually shocked that Joe would do something like that." Victoria turned to give Stella a quizzical look "None of the staff know he was putting up the park as a prize. Not even me" Stella gave a wry laugh, as though she was saying 'goes to show how much I know about Joe's mind' she finished her sentence "But I suppose you have bigger things to worry about, huh? Good luck with the cup, Victoria." The Staff Leader walked off with those parting words.

Victoria set out after Todd, intent on finding and calming him down before he made himself sick with joy, which has indeed happened a multitude of times before, when she heard a member of the staff mutter "...Oh, no. He's gone already" Victoria moved to walk past her when the woman called out to her "Wait!" the teenager glanced at her over her shoulder at the person who jogged up to her "you haven't received your fossil sonar yet, have you?"

"No...?" Victoria trailed off, rather put out at the woman's clear frustration.

"Well you're not going to find any fossil rocks without it!" the staff member handed over a blue machine that was about as big as a tablet and a matching pickaxe "I tried to stop that boy that ran ahead of you, but he moved like his pants were on fire!"

Victoria gave a slight huff as she face-palmed "Sounds like Todd, alright" she agreed, more annoyed than she thought possible at the moment.

"Oh, he's your friend?" A confirmatory nod "well that's convenient! Let's go give him his sonar together, shall we?"

"Okay" Victoria decided "Knowing Todd he's running around like a chicken with its head cut off" she remarked wryly, her Vivosaurs laughing in her mind. Both Fighters walked up the path to the dig site.

Sure enough, the boy was streaking back and forth, yelling at the top of his lungs "Stupid fossil rocks! Come on! Where are you!?"

Both Victoria and the staff member sweat-dropped, "You won't find anything without a Fossil Sonar" the woman called in his direction, ignoring the glances from passing Fighters. Todd whirled around "...Here. This should make life easier" the lady passed the machine to Todd with an apologetic look "I tried to give it to you earlier, but you shoved past me and ran off." She shot Todd and annoyed look and he swallowed hard "... But that's OK. I know you're just excited about the Cup."

Todd made a sound like a cross between a sheepish laugh and a 'yeah' as response.

"Alright, that button there turns your sonar on and off" said button was pushed and both sonar's lit up to life "And that one scans the area around you for fossils" that button was prodded and the two machines scanned the immediate area, pinging loudly as they picked up a handful of fossils around them. "Now you can find fossils and dig them up" with that, the lady walked off.

'Uh oh' Victoria mused towards her Vivosaurs 'lunacy alert!' "YEEES! With this sonar, I can dig and dig and never run out of fossils!" Todd affirmed to the entire dig site, earning him some curious looks "Look out, planet! I'm gonna scoop up every last treasure you got!"He bolted off.

After a moment or two of digging through the dirt, Victoria pulled another new fossil from the loose ground. She soon filled her small case and was on her way from the dig site, headed to the Fighter's Station to clean her finds.

She enters the Cleaning Room and she sees Stella over by a robot. The staff leader took notice of her "Oh, hello , Victoria. What perfect timing you have. We've just finished readying everyone's favourite fossil-cleaning partner. Say hello to KL-33N!"

"Hello" Victoria greeted the machine "it's nice to meet you"

"Pleased to meet you-BEEP." The robot says, "I am KL-33N, at your service –BOOP. Please speak to me if you wish to clean your fossil rocks-BEEP!" KL-33N informed her "You may trust me with the storage and reviving if even your most precious fossils" he assured her "I am not yet capable of cleaning on my own, but if I observe you doing so, I can gain that ability as well. Once I absorb enough of your knowledge, I will be able to clean fossil rocks on my own-ZZZZT! I look forwards to working with you-BWAAANG"

"Cool" Victoria decides "that's really awesome"

"This little guy will be a great help on your adventure." Stella deems "The more you clean the more he'll learn from you. And believe me, he can learn a LOT!" Stella moved to leave the room. "See you later!"

"Bye Stella!" Victoria called after her before returning her gaze to the robot. She pulled out her full fossil case "Let's get cracking, shall we?"

Victoria watched the flying reptile appear it was blue with a sail-like crest on its head. KL-33N had called it a Thalasso, Victoria had called it neat and when her fingers coiled around the cool metal, she was bracing for the aggressive stance that her other Vivosaurs possessed, she, however, needn't have worried as the Thalasso was clearly calmer as the waves that represented the Vivosaur lapped tenderly at the edge of her awareness, although the creature was nervous 'Hello' Victoria sent softly, not wanting to startle the Vivosaur

'Hi' the Thalasso returned the tide at the edge seeped in a bit further as the Vivosaur became more comfortable with Victoria's mind 'can I fly soon?'

'You can fly later, Aqua' Victoria assured the female voice in her mind 'you don't mind if I call you that, do you?'

'Aqua?' the Thalasso tried it out 'I like it, it's pretty'

'That's what I thought too' Victoria put Aqua with her other Vivosaurs and continued to clean her fossils, coming across a thick skull that KL-33N identified as a Raja

The Raja skull was placed unto the revival chamber and a bright flash illuminated the large window in the front. When the glare faded a large carnivorous Vivosaur stood there. It was a muddy brown with red and white markings, a ruby like gem between its eyes and, surprisingly enough, it had a stubby golden horn sticking up from the center of its forehead followed by about five boney lumps of the same color. Assuming the Vivosaur was strong was bang on because the second Victoria picked up the metal, the Raja made contact with her instead of the other way around like it had been with the Lance and Aqua 'I am strong and I will beat all that threaten you to a pulp' the Vivosaur promised solemnly it was represented by a pillar of sandstone, sturdy.

'Alright' Victoria smoothed 'that's taking it a bit far don't you think?'

'No, anyone who harms you must suffer horribly' the Raja insisted.

Victoria let out a mild sigh 'why do you think that way?'

'Because Mistress is the most important thing in the world' Raja informed her 'you are my Mistress, my Goddess' the Vivosaur explained 'your whims are my need'

'I think I'll call you Agni' Victoria decides 'I think it suits you'

'Thank you Mistress' the Raja responded, sending a pulse of joy through their link 'I like it'

'I had a feeling you would' Victoria conceded, albeit surprised at the Raja's clear loyalty and devotion to her, almost like a master and a slave, she realised before figuring out that since Raja was discovered in India and there it was at one time tradition to have a family servant if you were royalty, that the Raja was putting her up on a pedestal and would literally bend over backwards for her if she asked it. It was rather strange having something so powerful bending so contentedly to her will, though, Victoria figured, it kind of worked for the creature and it could come in useful in a dangerous situation.

Waving goodbye to KL-33N, Victoria returned to Treasure Lake to look for a body fossil for Agni the Raja when she arrived, however she was met with a scene like a celebrity was in town with all the squealing fans and the camera crew.

"Ooh, he's so dreamy! All mysterious and smouldering and stuff"

"Well, crud. I didn't expect to see him in the Cup. This is going to make it harder to win, that's for sure"

Victoria sighed 'oh great, fan-girls' she received a curious feeling from Agni

'Fan-girls-foes?' the Vivosaur inquired 'I stomp flat?'

'No, they're just annoying, not foes' Victoria assured him 'you can leave them be, it's alright'

Agni sent a feeling of submissiveness through their connection 'if that is what Mistress wishes'

"Hey Victoria. Did you hear? Rupert is entered in the Cup!" Todd stage whispered he got a startled look, as if Victoria was saying 'are you for real?' "...That's right. THE Rupert!"

'Rupert-threat?' Agni asked, picking up on Victoria's surprise and taking it like she was feeling cornered 'I crush underfoot?'

'No Agni, well if we battle him in the Cup you can crush his Vivosaurs as much as you'd like but otherwise no' she recognized dejected vibes from his metal 'or if he insults me too badly you can pitch him into the lake by his fancy coat-tails' feeling the Vivosaur perk up at that and she returned her focus to her friend.

"They're just about to start a TV interview with Rupert now." Todd decides, spending a moment studying the camera man who was fiddling with his lens cap.

The two teens joined the crowd as the reporter started talking "Good morning, I'm Linda R. Porter, reporting for Caliosteo TV. With the Caliosteo Cup under way, we have an exclusive interview with in of the Fighters" her voice was loud and professional "This undefeated child prodigy is on a stunning run of victories across multiple Fossil Fighting tournaments. He's also the heir to a multinational corporation that produces a wide range of goods for Fighters. It's the Prince of FossilDig, Inc. And the talk of every Fighter in town! Ladies and gentlemen...say hello to Rupert!" cue fan-girls swooning and loud applause from those who hadn't fainted. "Rupert let's get right to it: do you feel confident about winning the Caliosteo Cup?"

Victoria studies Rupert intently, from the silver of his hair to the brand-name leather of his boots. He looked have an ego the size of his poufy pants, which were tucked into his designer footwear that came to his shins. The expression he bore was that of spoiled arrogance, he practically radiated overconfidence, and Victoria could see the boredom in his vivid, yellow-gold eyes. "Oh yes, quite" Rupert had a British accent, his words rolled of his pretty tongue, it was no wonder why he had so many fans with a voice like that "There's little point in entering a competition if one does not expect to win" he practically screamed 'snotty rich kid'

"Spoken like a true champion." Linda conceded "There is no doubt that this young competitor has sipped oft from the cup of victory." The reporter laughed "Were any other Fighter to say as much, we might accuse them of hubris. But from Rupert, it is a fact. Will this title come to him as have all the others? Or will a new hero emerge to challenge the boy genius? One thing is clear: all eyes are on the Caliosteo Cup" she took a step towards the crowd "Oh, and we've been asked by the organizers to pass a message along to our viewers. Despite his fame, at the end of the day, Rupert is still a competitor in the Cup. Though you may be smitten with his roguish charm" Victoria snorted at that "please do not mob him or try to steal locks of his hair. Any entrants found to be annoying Rupert in such manner may be subjected to disqualification." The woman warned over the disappointed groans of the fans "and that's all the time we've got. For Caliosteo TV, this is Linda R. Porter saying good day, and good fortune." With that she and her cameraman buddy left muttering something about lunch

Rupert looked after them, snorting at their retreating backs before hissing "...Idiocy" under his breath and entering the dig site, the fans either going to stalk him in secret or to dig fossils for their matches.

"Oooo! I'd love to chase after Rupert and see if he's really all that!"

"Umm Todd, I'm pretty sure we were just told not to on the condition that we would get kicked out of the Cup if we bothered him so I don't think that's such a good idea"

"Yeah, they did say not to annoy him" Todd agreed "But they never said we couldn't challenge him to a Battle!"

"I see your point, but aren't they basically the same thing?" Victoria inquired "I mean, what if he's in a really crappy mood and he finds your hyperactivity... less than amusing?" she asked "You could get kicked out of the Cup. But I do understand where you're coming from, it's not like you're going to harass the guy or anything, you just want to battle with him"

"I'm gonna go for it" Todd declared "wish me luck"

"Luck" Victoria called after her friend as he made a beeline for Rupert who was crouched over, digging up a fossil rock at the moment on the other side of the dig site 'you know, for a rich kid I'm surprised, he seems pretty independent, I mean, he's down digging a fossil rock up from the mud instead of having someone else do it for him' Victoria pulled out her sonar 'I think that's pretty self-sufficient of him, which isn't a trait I'd expect from someone with so much just handed to him on a platter. The fame, the fortune, that guy has it all'

'You like him?' Aqua inquired 'You like Rupert?'

'I don't know him well enough to say yes or no. He was cocky in the interview, he probably figures that people would just roll over for him at his command; I mean the guy's a champion, he won in tournaments like this all over the world, that's a lot of power he has to be like that. Though he's going to have something coming to him if he decides to be a jerk to Todd and walks all over him, a nice, refreshing dip in the lake to be precise' Victoria swung her pickaxe at the ground with a dull wham, the sharp point dug in deeply and she pulled it out, taking the fossil with it 'isn't that right Agni?'

'Yes Mistress' the Raja sent 'if he upsets your friend or you he takes bath'

'When will we battle?' Lance sent, impatience lapped at Victoria's awareness 'I want to fight!'

Victoria huffs at the Vivosaur's antics 'Lance enough, you'll get a chance soon enough, round 1 of the Cup will be starting soon and if you don't stop pestering me I'll leave you in my bag while the others fight' the current immediately vanished as the Vivosaur receded fully from her awareness in an attempt to appease Victoria 'is he alright?'

'He is fine' Tsume sent 'just a little startled at your sudden change in personalities'

'I can only take so much nagging before I start to get snippy' Victoria muses to her Vivosaurs, Lance included after she reopened the link between them 'and I'm more likely to do something on my own if I'm not prodded to do it'

After she filled her fossil case, Victoria decided to check on Todd with his mission to battle Rupert. She padded over the slightly torn up grass too where her best friend was anxiously wringing his hands "Hey Todd, how'd it go? You kick his prissy butt?"

"Uhm...I haven't been over to see him yet" Victoria shot Todd a bemused look "I was waiting for you to come and go talk to him with me!" he defends himself and Victoria laughs

"Lead the way, oh brave warrior" Victoria makes an exaggerated motion, paving on the sarcasm like jelly on the toast she'd had this morning. When Todd doesn't move she walks in Rupert's general direction, Todd followed, she stopped; Todd stopped "it was your idea to ask Rupert to battle so you're talking to him" Todd sputtered something that she couldn't understand before sighing in defeat.

"Fine, you win" Todd mumbles before calling over to the red-clad Fighter who had just ran his fingers through his bang to unstuck it from his forehead, his hair had small amounts of mud in it, the silver colouring making it stand out "Hey! What say you and me have a good ol' fashioned Fossil Battle?! You know that excited feeling you get when you meet a tough fighter? Well, I have it! You like Fossil Battles, and you know that feeling. So let's have some fun!"

'I'm surprised, his voice didn't crack' Victoria sent to her Vivosaurs and they all responded with laughter in their own ways.

Rupert shook his head and straightened his coat in one motion, he looked really unimpressed "Please go amuse yourself elsewhere. I don't have time to waste on the likes of you. 'Let's have fun'?" He mimicked sarcastically "'Excited feeling'?" Rupert gave a disgusted snort "Such disgusting treacle is enough to make my porridge come up!" he rubbed his throat although he was attempting to soothe an ache, smearing mud over his pale skin. "Frankly I abhor having to associate with Fighters such as yourself. If you wish to face me in a Fossil Battle, you must win your way to my standing in the tournament. Of course, there's no chance of that happening... Now run along and take your sad Vivosaurs with you"

Victoria managed to contain her Raja's wrath, barely 'Agni ease up, we're trying to battle Rupert, not kill him!'

'He insulted Mistress!' the Vivosaur roared through their link making Victoria wince as his rage echoed through her skull 'He must pay!'

'He insulted us' was Lance's huffed reply, his pride had clearly taken a blow 'He must pay'

Todd was clearly on her Vivosaur's side as he let out a low growl "How dare you! You don't know how talented I am!" Victoria twitched at her friend's aggressive tone. Lance wasn't making it any better by chanting 'Fight!' over and over again. "I think you're just chicken!"

"Todd!" Victoria hissed throwing an arm out to stop him from walking forwards "He's a worldwide champion! You don't call people who could turn you into a pancake a Chicken!" she hissed forcefully in his ear

Though in the end her efforts were in vain as Todd pushed her arm out of his way and continued to taunt a clearly appalled Rupert with loud "Baaaawk bawk bawk!" sounds while he mimicked wings

'Well, he's screwed' Victoria's hand met her forehead with a dull slap

'I make Rupert have bath in lake now?'

'Not yet, Agni. Todd needs to learn a lesson and by the way Rupert's glaring at him it's gonna be painful' Victoria winced 'but he needs to learn that behaviour gets you into trouble and get's people's feelings hurt and that is not acceptable' she shuddered 'Dear Saurhead I'm beginning to sound like my mom! That's Tsume's job! Agni, if Rupert gets pitched into the lake, throw me in too, I need a reality check'

'If that's what Mistress wants' the Vivosaur agreed, albeit unsure 'I will throw you both into lake'

"So you demand satisfaction, do you?" Rupert half-snarled, his accent made it sound smoother than intended so he sounded more like a growling cat than something scary like a T-Rex "Very well. If it will keep you from stalking me in the future..." he pulled two Dino Metals from one of his pockets "Once I show you what a true Fossil Battle is like, you can run home and tell Mommy all about it."

Todd's Stego materialized with a low bellowing call. Rupert sent out a Raja and a Mapo, who all but exploded onto the field with loud roars that made the hair on the back of Victoria's neck stand on end.

"Stego use Spike Tail on Raja!" said move missed by a lot and the Raja retaliated by grabbing Stego's tail and swinging it in a wide arc before slamming it into the earth with a sickening crack. The green Dino Metal skidded across the earth to Todd's feet where the boy stared down at it with a mix of awe and terror on his face. "I lost...I lost a LOT." He looked like he was going into shock.

"Truly pathetic. Are you even paying attention to the elemental types of your Vivosaurs?" Rupert demands.

Though Victoria was rather annoyed, she couldn't help but wonder what Rupert was talking about. Todd unknowingly voiced her question. "...Elemental types?"

"Oh this is indeed sad. To that a Fighter knows nothing of Elemental Types...Oh, very well." Rupert clearly decided on something "Pay attention!" he all but snapped, his haughty tone was not exceptionally polite "There are five Elemental Types: Fire, Earth, Water, Air and Neutral. Every Vivosaur has one such type." Rupert instructed, sounding like a very strict, very young British teacher. "Excluding Neutrals, all Vivosaurs hold an advantage and a weakness against other types. For example, the Air type is strong against Water, but weak against Earth. If a Vivosaur attacks when it has the type advantage, it inflicts greater damage upon its foe." Rupert paused a moment

"I see where your coming from" Victoria agreed, 'for a rich kid he clearly knows his stuff'

'clearly' Tsume sent, assent from Victoria's other Vivosaurs told her that they all were mildly impressed.

Rupert regarded her for a moment before continuing; clearly deciding that he'd shared enough of his knowledge "My Raja is an Earth type." His tone became cocky, clearly getting over his moment of semi-kindness, he was addressing Todd now, although Victoria wasn't there "So were you a clever Fighter, you would have targeted my water type Mapo. Additionally, your Stego is a Mid-Range-Class Vivosaur. Mapo was at a range at which your Vivosaur would have been more effective." If he hadn't have been gloating before, Rupert sure was now. "Not that any of this matters. I still would have crushed you in the end."

Todd, clearly had a brainwave the size of a Perso as he pushed Victoria forwards well into Rupert's space. "Victoria is really tough and she gets better grades than I do. How bout you see if you can crush her in a fossil battle like you did to me"

"Todd!" Victoria hissed, pushing back, securely against her friend's hands on her shoulder blades, but Todd held her firmly in place.

"Oh, come now." Rupert all but scoffed, "What I this nonsense? Must I truly battle every slack-jawed yokel who slinks into view?"

Agni had enough of this; he burst from his Metal with a terrifying roar of anger. "Agni, no!" Victoria yelled, lunging in the path of the angered Vivosaur, separating him from her friend and tormentor behind her. But the Vivosaur was consumed by rage, and did not heed his Mistress's words as he screamed his fury to the heavens above. There were two more flashes as two other Vivosaurs appeared in front of Victoria, protecting her from harm.

Tsume and Lance appeared with blinding shines and battle cries of their own. They'd cut their links with Victoria for some odd reason, probably to prevent Agni's wrath from hurting their Fighter. But Victoria didn't need the links to know what had to be done. "Lance use Running Smash, we can't let him hurt anyone!"

The Tricera let out a bellow of confirmation before rocketing forwards like a missile and roughly jabbing his horns into Agni's leg, toppling the Raja. In retaliation, Agni swept around his tail and knocked his attacker to his side. "Tsume!" the Areos bit down on Agni's neck with a loud crunch and the Raja's Dino Metal bounced across the dirt.

Victoria let out a soft huff of breath before stooping to collect the Earth-type Dino Metal. She felt a pulse of sorrow from the disk, Agni was in horror from what he'd almost done in his fury. 'It's alright, Agni.' Victoria assured him, tucking his Metal away 'We all get angry from time to time'

Lance stepped forwards and brushed his nose-horn lightly to Victoria's elbow with a soft grunt of concern. Which was restated by Tsume as he leaned down to sniff his Fighter. "I'm okay you guys" she soothed, resting a hand on each of them "Kind of shaken, but no permanent damage"

Todd gasped from his position, having lunged with a squeak behind Rupert, who seemed to be in shock. "I didn't know that a Vivosaur could do that!"

"Neither did I Todd, but at least we know now"

Rupert blinked before scowling, clearly not having enjoyed almost being attacked. But with the other two Vivosaurs still out, he chose his words wisely. "Enough! I'll not spend one more second on this madness. I say Good day to you!" with that he speed walked off, presumably to the Fighter Station.

Todd let out a rueful growl. "I've lost plenty of times, but I've never been this angry about it! That's it, Victoria!" Todd declared "We have to win our way through the Cup together. We have to take down that Rupert jerk, no matter what!"

"Pipipipipipipi..." the pair of friends startle at the sound before rifling through their pockets and pulling out their Paleopagers. "Incoming FMS message" a member of the staff appeared in the small screens. "Round 1 of the Cup will now begin. Todd's opponent will be Victoria. Prepare yourselves before checking in at Ribular Town's Fossil Stadium."

The effect that the little device had on Victoria's Vivosaurs long after it shut off startled her. Lance, Tsume and Aqua all broadcasted eager vibes through Victoria's mind. Each asking to partake in the fight. Agni was, surprisingly enough, the mellowest of the four as he only sent 'I will take part in the fight if Mistress wishes it.'

Todd blinked at the now mute device in his hand before looking up at Victoria who was studying him intently, wishing that she could read his mind like her Vivosaurs could read hers. "Wow. So you're my round 1 opponent? Boo, man. I was hoping to face you in the final." He whirled around and kicked a chunk of rock across the dirt. "Stupid computer!" he hisses, venom in his voice. The tone was so strange from his mouth Victoria shied back, like a startled horse; she reversed nervously, a surprised sound rolled over her tongue before she could stop it. Todd clearly heard her as he let out a soft sigh "Well." He responds "There's nothing we can do about it, Victoria. We'll have to fight as hard as we can. Until our Round 1 match is done, I'm going to think of you as an enemy!"

"Likewise" Victoria assured him, her eyes narrowing slightly as her attitude shifted into a slightly more forwards, slightly more intimidating stance. "Prepare for a thrashing Todd, cuz I'm gonna go all out"

"Yeah!" Todd all but cries enthusiastically before he shifted his pose into a posture that wasn't as shy as he usually was "I'm going to Fossil Battle you hard!" He vowed, meeting Victoria's eyes "I mean crazy hard, so you better be ready!" with that the boy spun around and sprinted off.

'Well, this is going to be interesting.' Victoria mused towards her Vivosaurs. 'I've never imagined Todd as much of a challenge, but he made it through the preliminaries with flying colours so we need to be careful'

Tsume sent wisps of agreement, 'Todd will probably use Stego, a Wind type'

'And Rupert said that Wind is weak to Earth' Victoria considered, 'so Agni would be a good choice to have on the team'

The Raja in question asked 'I fight against Todd? I beat his Vivosaurs?'

'Yes Agni, that's how a fossil battle works' Victoria agrees, her head bobbing slightly though she knew that the Vivosaur couldn't see her 'and Aqua would be a smart choice, she's a Long-Range so she'd be hard to hit if he uses Stego if I put her in the back of the team' the teenager mused 'Aqua would you like to be in this battle?'

'I would like that' the pterosaur sent 'I will be out of range and safe but still able to attack'

Victoria walks down the road, headed to the Fighter Station, debating on using Tsume over Lance because even if she had Agni on her team, having two water types on the field would give Todd the elemental advantage, which could cost Victoria the battle. 'Tsume, would you like to be in this fight?'

'I would love to' the Vivosaur assured her 'I will be a good asset to the team'

'Lance, I would choose you but if we're up against Air types you'd be a sitting duck, Aqua can keep herself out of range and still attack effectively, if you were out of Todd's range, your attacks would do less damage, and even then the elemental advantage might be enough to knock you down, I'd rather not risk it and have you hurt because of a bad choice on my side' Victoria thought, praying that the Vivosaur would understand her concerns

Lance seemed rather surprised at her logic, it was something that he'd never have suspected her to have, the skill and the strategy right off the bat. He was humbled slightly that she thought not of the battle at hand, but of him and his vulnerability to Air and the fact that he wasn't as agile as Aqua. 'I get it, I'll have to wait for my turn in the spotlight, no biggie, the fans'll have to wait to see me fight, I'll make it memorable when I get my chance'

A wide grin splits Victoria's face 'Great!' when she reached the fighter station she strutted confidently through the doors, her Vivosaurs cheering her on mentally, giving her approval and ideas on strategies. "Someone's self-assured, I see"

Victoria barely glanced at Rupert, before responding "I have to fight my best friend, I know how his mind works and I know what type of Vivosaur he prefers" she shrugged "that and my Vivosaurs are filling my head with praises and ideas for a colourful victory"

Rupert snorted "Oh?" he inquired, his tone was slightly mocking.

Agni, was calmly reserved, he'd been since Victoria had chosen him to be in the battle. "Yep. They've told me more complements in the past five minutes than I've ever gotten. I need to be careful though. I might get an ego the size of a Perso if I don't keep my head, I mean, who likes an egomaniac?"

Rupert winced slightly at the slightly unimpressed tone Victoria was using, it was clear that she, nor her Vivosaurs if the display in Treasure Lake was anything to go by, much enjoyed being taunted and picked at.

"But I don't think that people like that are too bad, my sister was an egomaniac. She had to have the spotlight no matter what. I was kinda pushed aside whenever she was in the room but" Victoria shrugged "That's just how she was and I know that she couldn't help it with her A+ grades and her perfect attitude, it was all too easy for her to show off" a slight sigh "No matter what I did she always topped me. I win an award for my poetry and she goes and wins one for her math skills, which in my parent's eyes are more important than my stories could ever be." Victoria was studying Tsume's metal in her hand, recalling the lonely feeling at being cast aside to make room for her top class sister "It wasn't fun but, I still love her, she's still my sister and we still get along. We still argue over TV channels and what foods are better than others."

She smiled slightly before continuing "This tournament gives me the chance to be the top dog, to finally get my parent's attention like I've always wanted. And even if I don't win the whole Cup, at least my parents'll be forced to recognise that I exist and that I can do great things like Krystal can, then they'll have to give me respect and recognise that I, while not as perfect as my sister, am my own person and that, while I may not be flawless in everything I do, that I still have the power to do my own things and be strong"

***this is a short break from Victoria's way of seeing things to Rupert's way of seeing things, I wanted him to talk with Mapo for a moment before Victoria had to battle Todd***

Rupert didn't respond, he was thinking about his own problems and realising how many times he had felt almost painfully similar to how Victoria did. That she, like him, had to do things to get praise, though the reasoning behind it was different, the basic things were still there.

"Anyways Rupert, I'll probably be seeing you around, or in the Cup if we have to fight each other. I wish you luck in your Fossil Battle" with that Victoria walked off to the Common Room, remembering that it doubled as the entry to the Fossil Stadium while Rupert stared after her.

'You know, she's a lot like you.'

'I don't have a sister' Rupert retorted, feeling rather confused 'and why would she entrust such information with me? What can I do about it?'

'I think she sees how similar you two are, though she may not fully see why' Mapo responded thoughtfully 'she's been shunned what seems like her entire life, and you've been put up and raised to be a champion. Yet both of you have the same kind of aura, one of silent strength, of a mute promise of confidence. You have been taught to use yours and she's slowly getting hers to shine through.'

Rupert huffed 'would you please refrain from speaking such riddles?'

'I'm not speaking in riddles, Victoria, whether she knows it or not, is reacting to the aura around you, her sub-conscious is telling her that you are similar to her and you are safe to trust with things' Mapo broadcasted 'she, whether aware of it or not, is more likely to feel safer in a dangerous situation with you than anyone other than her friend Todd, if she's in danger and you're nearby will gravitate slightly closer to you because of the sense of security you radiate to her because of the ways you are similar.'

The Fighter made an unpleased sound low in his throat, 'can you not?' there was no reply from the Vivosaur in his chest pocket, only a mild wave of consideration. 'Thank you'

But the damage had already been done, Rupert began to think of ways that Victoria could depend on him. She could get into trouble with a gang or something and need rescue, she might get into an argument with her roommate and need a place to stay for the night, she might- 'Look what you've done to me you reptile!'

***alright, back to the main plot with Victoria as the central character***

Victoria padded up to Todd who was staring at the big door leading to the stadium, the crowd's cheering, though heavily muted, was still clearly audible. "You finally came!" Todd exclaimed sounding like he was trying to be tough and excited.

"Yes" Victoria agreed "I've arrived"

"You better not go easy on me just because we're friends." Todd warns before adding "I mean it!"

"I wouldn't dream about going easy on you, as long as you go all out on my team, I'll try in earnest to win."

"The next match will be Todd vs. Victoria." The speaker in the ceiling informed the duo "Combatants should enter the stadium immediately"

"Oh hey." Todd declares "Sounds like we're on." Victoria noted that Todd sounded slightly nervous "No hard feelings, right? No matter who comes out on top?"

The girl nodded "No hard feelings, Todd."

Todd's confidence returned "Now let's do this thing!"

Both teens stepped into the stadium to thunderous applause. The stands were full of spectators and Victoria had to swallow the lump that formed in her throat at the sight of all the people. 'I have to be strong, I have to show my parents that I can do things that my sister can't' Victoria thought as she walked over to her side of the titanic room, attempting to untie the knots in her stomach.

'We've got this' Aqua assured her Fighter, 'I believe in you and I believe in the others'

'Mistress, we will win for you' Agni piped up from his metal 'I will not allow myself to be lost to rage like earlier, I will fight for you and I will win'

'Thanks you guys...it means a lot' "Let's do this thing!" Victoria yelled; tossing her chosen Metals onto the field as Todd threw his.

White blotted out the stadium as the Vivosaurs were summoned from their disks to fight. As Victoria had predicted, Todd called out his Stego, along with a strange little Vivosaur called Goyle. It was a wind-type and was purple with red markings on it's boney back and a thick, muscular tail topped with a lethal looking spade. 'Watch out for the Goyle's tail, it looks like it can pack a punch'

Victoria warned her Vivosaurs who broadcasted understanding and caution, the three of them agreed 'we'll be watchful of the little fused lizard'

With that Victoria called the first attack. "Agni use Raja Fang on Stego!"

The Earth Vivosaur lunged forwards, crunching down on the Stego's leg with a loud chomp before throwing the medium sized herbivoir into the air. The impact that it had as it reunited with the sandy stadium floor shook the building slightly. The crowd roared in approval as the green Vivosaur pulled itself from the indent in the dirt barely clinging to its physical form.

"Woah! Did you see that Ty?!" one of the announcers all but screamed into his mic "That was some attack!"

"Yeah Trip but that Stego's still up and going" the other announcer responds in a much calmer tone "The crowd's going crazy and the fight just started!"

"Stego use Spike Tail on the Thalasso! Use its type to your advantage!" Todd encouraged. The Vivosaur bounded over and _jumped _high enough to smack Aqua out of the air and into back into her metal.

Victoria took the Stego's fall and used it to her advantage "Agni finish it off!"

'Yes Mistress!' the Raja sent lifting his head and opening his mouth, he delivered a powerful bite to the falling Stego and sent it back into it's metal before throwing the disk across the field to where Todd stood.

As Todd retrieved his fallen Vivosaur, Victoria collected Aqua's Metal 'You did great Aqua' Victoria assured the small water type, 'I didn't think that Stegos could jump that high'

'Neither did I' the Vivosaur agreed 'but know we know and now we can avoid it in the future'

'Right' Victoria agrees, 'but now Todd only had his Goyle and I have both Tsume and Agni so our chances are still pretty good'

"Goyle use Body Axe on Areos!"

"Tsume Jump!"

The heavy spade tail met nothing but a cloud of dust as the intended target sprang into the air and twisted so he landed lightly on his feet.

"Good Job, Tsume!" Victoria cheered "now take him out with your new move! Areos Alert!" she half screamed to be heard over the passionate roar of the crowd.

**AN: And that was my second chapter and oh sweet baby Saurhead did that take forever to write! Anyways, I would like to personally thank DunalN2 for without her, I would have continued to write until I had people demanding I update. So read and review, if you'd like. and I'll see you, next chapter. **


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